Angel Sanctuary: Volume 21
by grauschwinge
Summary: God is dead, but creation remains unstable after the war. Ash-colored wings appear on the horizon... And an ancient malice awakens.
1. Chapter 1

_Forever..._

Resting on the grass, amid the roses, the Inorganic Angel opened his eyes. He smiled. His child, clad in a plain robe like his own, was approaching.

_How beautiful you are..._

Rosiel let Katan walk up to him, but before Katan could settle down beside him, Rosiel took to the air, laughing lightly.

_You are so lovely._

Rosiel made Katan give chase, allowing him to draw closer, only to escape again. Even when Rosiel finally landed, he pushed Katan to the ground and leaned over him.

_I love you, my lord._

Katan wanted to offer praise, but the tip of a long, slender finger was placed on his lips, and he found himself mesmerized by a smile before he gave in to Rosiel's kiss.

_My beloved child..._

Oblivious to the rest of existence, Rosiel and Katan chose to remain in their private paradise, amid the roses, resting on the grass.

_Forever and ever..._

.

_Never... again._

Raziel fidgeted as he sat at the desk, his back turned to the bookshelves. He had poured two cups of tea, out of habit, but he could not bring himself to drink any of the liquid.

_He's gone. Lord Zaphikel... I'll never get to drink tea with you again. I'll never get to accompany you to meetings again. And I'll never get to go to Assiah with you again..._

Having placed his elbows on the desk so that he could hide his face, the blond boy closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He had been hesitating to change anything about the office. He had frequented it before, but he had never been in charge of it.

_You left this in my care... You even trusted me to lead the Anima Mundi. They're counting on me now... And I don't want to fail you, Lord Zaphikel... But I can't do this alone. I can't change Heaven on my own..._

His body felt heavy when he rose from his seat, but he simply wiped his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

_I'd better not keep Michael waiting... I should be glad he even agreed to this. I need to see them for myself, the lowest spheres of Heaven... or the highest spheres of Hell._

Raziel walked out of the office swiftly, then secured the door. He forced himself to smile. When he looked up, he saw the soldiers, expressionless and clad in dark uniforms. The collar was fitted around the boy's neck before he could even scream.

.

The Water Angel's body was impervious to decay, but it was immobile and cold. She did not breathe. She did not blink. Yet her body smelled fresh, and her garden was blooming more vividly than ever before.

The maid, a timid, delicate creature, never tired of serving the Water Angel, smiling at her and talking to her.

_You didn't ignore us, Lady Jibril... So now that I have a body, I want to be there for you. You were always alone in this beautiful garden... Were you a hermit? Or a prisoner?_

"I wonder when you'll awaken, Lady Jibril... You're still in Assiah, aren't you? As Lady Sara... I wonder how Lady Sara is doing now..."

Jibril would not respond. She simply sat in the garden, with open eyes.

"You know, Lady Jibril... I've glimpsed the surface of Assiah. It looks so beautiful..."

_Like a marble made of misty glass._

The maid sat down beside Jibril's throne, so that her crossed arms and her head were resting on the Water Angel's lap.

.

The loud rustling ceased when the pair settled on a rooftop, crouching in the shadows. The sounds and the lights of the city seemed far away.

_This place is overflowing with energy... And those humans just go on with their lives._

A low growl broke out of one individual – slightly smaller than the other, and with the face of an overgrown child – as he was glaring into the distance.

"Look at those self-satisfied bastards..."

His companion, who looked even more like a boy, chuckled.

"You say that all the time. Are you getting tired? We had quite the feast tonight."

They could not suppress an urge to grin, displaying large teeth before they licked their lips, where the last traces of their meal still lingered.

_Will we finally find the answers we've been searching for? The answers that have been eluding us for so long..._

Their faces were turned away from the wind, but the evening was chilly, so they huddled together, their long, thick hair mingling on their shoulders.

_What are we? Why were we born?_

"Another day of survival..."

"Come on... Let's just go home."

_Home..._

The smaller one looked over his shoulder, then grasped his companion's hand, and they broke into a run. They were swept up by a gust, and the rustling swelled.

.

Uriel did not know how long he had been staring at the angel behind the crystal barrier.

_Alexiel...You're mine now, at last. But this is not what I wanted. Now you're barely more than what Doll was before the soul of that forlorn angel girl found me here._

The Earth Angel had to turn away from the body.

_The princess, no, the young queen of Anagura asked me to look after you... Was it just vicious mockery, dooming me to see you, but not to touch you? Or maybe she was just trying to recover from her own heartbreak... You're a cruel woman, Alexiel. That girl has suffered too many losses._

He sighed, out of frustration and relief, when he was shrilly alerted to a message from Heaven. Reaching into the pocket of his coat, he produced the small device, and a familiar redhead's face immediately dominated the screen.

"What's taking you so fucking long?"

_I should have known better than to expect an actual greeting from this guy..._

"The war's over, and you're back in Hades already. You'd better get your ass back to Heaven!"

"Michael, I am not deaf. Stop yelling."

Uriel held the device at arm's length, but his scowl utterly failed to impress the redhead.

"Hurry the fuck up! Call me when you get here... Uriel, this is a fucking emergency."

"Michael, what is going on?"

The Fire Angel looked anxious, with clenched teeth and furrowed brows.

"Raziel... They fucking arrested Raziel!"


	2. Chapter 2

_I want to kiss you... But you seem so far away from me._

Even from within his spacious bedchamber, the Inorganic Angel could see the domain spread out beyond his vast gardens.

_My kingdom... In ruins, yet at peace. For now... Now that the impostor's been exposed, it's time for me to return to the stage. I am free..._

Having turned away from the glass doors that led to the balcony, Rosiel looked at Katan, who was lingering on the other side of the room.

_I know that you approve of the arrest. You've always been very vocal when you disagree with me on political matters... But now you seem so distant, my child. I would prefer discord with every angel in Heaven – and with every devil in Hell – to this... to even a moment of uncertainty._

"I know that something is bothering you. Tell me, Katan..."

"Lord Rosiel, there is no reason to worry. I am simply... confused. There is still so much I do not understand... I do not know how we can be alive now."

Rosiel finally walked up to Katan, whose eyes widened slightly when he saw his lord's frown.

"I'm not sure how, myself... I found myself amid the ruins of Etemenanki. And there you were... Just like when we first met. You're quite persistent, Katan..."

_I felt you, close to myself... I was never alone. A tiny light calling out to me... You, my child. So I recreated your body, every cell..._

With a slight smile, Rosiel ran his fingers through Katan's hair.

_You were yourself again... Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. Energy of my energy..._

Rosiel's hands moved to Katan's shoulders, and the Inorganic Angel leaned closer for a kiss, merely tasting at first, until Katan felt Rosiel's tongue against his lips.

"Lord Rosiel... Am I really allowed... to kiss you? I do not want to become your puppet again. I want to stay with you out of my own free will... because you are lovely and holy."

Rosiel chuckled before he flung himself at Katan, sealing his lips with his own mouth. Katan's gasp was stifled, and he tentatively touched Rosiel's upper arms.

_I love your kisses, my lord... I love seeing you so much less anxious than before. I want to give in to your kisses... But I need to know. If I hesitate, I do so only because I am insecure... Never because I do not want your caresses. I long for them, almost as much as my soul longs for yours..._

"See? You're safe... Your cells... They're the same as mine... Mine won't attack yours... because you're... part of me... Katan..."

"Lord... Rosiel..."

Katan was dizzy by the time Rosiel was disentangling himself from the embrace.

_I am grateful that you have reclaimed the throne, my lord... You are my king._

Smoothing his hair back with one hand, the Inorganic Angel smiled confidently.

_As if to spite the blush on your beautiful face, my lord..._

"Time to go, Katan. I don't want to keep my guest waiting..."

"Of course, Lord Rosiel."

Rosiel gave Katan another kiss before clinging to his arm, laughing lightly.

.

_What's... going on...? Where... am I...?_

He was lying on the smooth, cold floor, blinking slowly. Neither his arms nor his legs were bound, but when he tried to move, he simply groaned, surrendering to darkness for another moment.

_I can't even move my wings... They're just weights on my back now. Lord Zaphikel... Were you treated like this? Drained of your power, so that you could not even crawl...? Even my eyelids feel so heavy... I just want to sleep..._

The collar, partly obscured by his blond hair, was still clamped around his neck. He inhaled, but he collapsed as soon as he tried to push himself off the floor. His teeth were clenched.

_Like back on that day... The last day of my old life. My new beginning... with you, Lord Zaphikel. When you walked toward me, in that lab, you looked like a true guardian to me... My savior._

An angel – tall, with long hair – had approached him.

_Do you... want to live?_

Raziel choked back his sobs.

_I want... to live...!_

Raziel opened his eyes.

_But it's futile, Lord Zaphikel... I have to rely on myself now._

Two angels – one of them tall, the other with long hair – had approached him.

_That... can't be._

Raziel stared at them for but a moment before he felt a jolt of pain in his skull.

_All thoughts reduced to white noise..._

His mouth opened for a silent scream as he slipped back into oblivion.

.

"How is... Raphael?"

Uriel saw Michael flinch, and he averted his eyes for a moment, looking almost pensive.

"He's better. Not exactly back to normal yet, but... He's getting there. He'd fucking better...!"

The Fire Angel tried to laugh, but he only managed to stretch his lips back toward his ears, baring both rows of teeth.

_Michael... Are you even trying to fool anyone? Including yourself... I wish I could tell you that I know how you feel, or that I miss him... But I do not know how you feel, and I could never miss him nearly as much as you do... I am not sure if anyone could._

The double doors the two angels had been waiting in front of suddenly began to open, with mechanical precision and steadiness. Michael and Uriel walked into the throne room, but they halted as soon as they beheld who was awaiting them.

_We might have escaped the twisted reality inside Etemenanki, but... This is not possible._

Rosiel was lounging, while Katan had taken up his post beside the throne, standing almost close enough to touch his lord. The Inorganic Angel was beaming at Michael and Uriel, tilting his head to one side so that his long hair cascaded over an armrest.

"Welcome, gentlemen! So you finally made it..."

The redhead rushed forward, stopping only a slight distance away from the throne. The air around him was flaring.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

"Michael, don't..."

"Shut the fuck up, Uriel!"

"...talk like that."

Uriel glared at Michael, but the redhead crossed his arms, whereas the Inorganic Angel laughed.

"I must say... You disappoint me! I'm used to better entertainment around here... There wasn't even a toddler to usurp my throne this time."

"Cut the chit-chat! We're here for Raziel!"

_Michael, if you don't engulf this place in an outburst, he just might..._

"That brash child...! High treason is a great crime, and he's still so young... But he's safe! I personally made sure that the guards are handling him with care... He is fortunate, nonetheless, that he was not executed on the spot."

Michael snarled incomprehensibly, and Uriel stepped in front of him, earning a punch on the elbow from the redhead.

"Raziel and his allies played crucial roles in ending Sevothtarte's tyranny. They are still fighting for the renewal of Heaven..."

The Inorganic Angel's companion suddenly cleared his throat, and he looked directly at the two elemental angels.

"Gentlemen, do not forget that Raziel chose to side with the demon army. Surely you remember the state of Heaven before the Second Great War. Heaven was never the paradise of lore, but it was safer. There weren't constant attacks from Gehenna. There was stability... I am certain that such a state, and more, can be achieved again, at last."

Rosiel glanced at Katan, and his long fingers slid over the sleeve of his coat.

_He's known to disregard personal space... But this breaks the law dictated to us._

"The two of you – all four of you – might prefer to see my sister here... But until she awakens, I am the sole heir to this throne. Heaven, in its present state, is no longer the kingdom I used to rule... But I'm willing to give it another chance."

"I maintain that Lord Rosiel will repair what is broken, instead of spreading destruction as you might believe."

"There is still so much you don't know. None of you do... even though you went to Etemenanki yourselves. It was Katan who saved me. From Lucifer... From the Creator..."

.

In spite of the dim lighting, fingers were stretched out into the air and examined, from different angles, fanned out or pressed together

_A mechanism of muscle and sinew... Flawless even in an abomination._

Another pair of hands joined in, turning and stretching in a similar manner. Both sets of fingers were long, with sharp nails. The hands were covered in ashen skin, while the arms also sported fine gray hairs.

Occasionally, a few fingertips nudged one hand of the other pair. When wrists and even forearms collided, they moved apart amid faint, brief rustling sounds.

Black sleeves were pulled back into place, over arms that appeared swollen, and the hands were folded, as though in prayer.

_But there's no prayer for the wicked... No redemption for the sinful... No salvation for the damned._

Lying side by side, the overgrown boys exchanged toothy grins.


End file.
